Effect of Plant Nutrients in Soil And pH on Plant Growth | EVPP 111, Lab Reports of Environmental Science

Download Effect of Plant Nutrients in Soil And pH on Plant Growth | EVPP 111 and more Lab Reports Environmental Science in PDF only on Docsity! EVPP 111 Lab Spring 2004 Effect of Plant Nutrients in Soil and Soil pH on Plant Growth Introduction This is a companion lab to the "Plant Nutrients in Soil and Soil pH", "Effect of Acid Rain on Plant Growth", and "Soil Texture" labs. In this lab, the ability of radish plants to grow in three soil types will be compared to the plant nutrient content, pH and texture of the soils. Information on the major plant nutrients and their effect on plant growth was presented in the introduction to the "Plant Nutrients in Soil and Soil pH" lab. Information on the classification of soil texture and its effects on plants growth will be presented in the introduction of the "Soil Texture" lab exercise. In this lab, we will plant radish seeds in the three soil types and allow them to grow for 5 weeks. Each week the plants will be watered and observed. In week 6 of the exercise (5th week of growing), the mass of the plants will be determined. The plant growth data across the three soil types will then be compared with the soil pH, plant nutrient content, and soil texture data collected in the related labs. The plants grown in this lab will also serve as the controls for the "Effect of Acid Rain on Plant Growth" lab. Hypothesis Plants will grow better, as evidenced by mean plant height and mean plant above soil mass, in the nutritionally-enhanced commercial potting soil than in the fill soil or in the compost. Materials • Soil from three different sources (fill dirt, compost, nutritionally-enhanced commercial potting soil) • 4" round plastic plant pots • Trays • Permanent markers • Radish seeds • Tap water • 50ml plastic beaker Procedure Week 1 - Planting Seeds 1. Work in groups by lab table. 2. Obtain 9 4" plastic plant pots a. place a strip of masking tape on each pot b. using a permanent marker, label the masking tape of each pot with the following information 1) 2) lab table number 3) soil type (potting, fill, or compost) EVPP 111 Lab Spring 2004 2 4) group number 5) pot number (#1, #2, #3 for each soil type) 6) lab section # 3. Fill each pot with the appropriate soil until the pot is ¾ full 4. Plant five radish seeds in each pot, approximately 15mm deep 5. Water each pot with 50ml of tap water 6. Place pots on plastic trays and place trays in greenhouse as directed by instructor Weeks 2 - 5 1. Water each pot with 30ml of tap water. 2. Observe the pots and determine for each the number of plants that have either germinated or have become a seedling and record this number in Table 1. Eventually, this number will reflect the number of plants as all seeds will have germinated. 3. Observe the pots and record for each a qualitative description of plant color in Table 1. (Examples: healthy dark green, pale green, yellowish, yellowish with spots). 4. Observe the pots and determine for each the average plant height (in mm) and record in Table 1. To do this, measure the tallest part of each plant (there should be no more than 5 separate plants if you followed the planting instructions carefully), add those 5 values and then divide by 5. Weeks 6 1. Observe the pots and determine for each the number of plants and record this number in Table 1. 2. Observe the pots and record for each a qualitative description of plant color in Table 1. 3. Observe the pots and determine for each the average plant height (in mm) and record in Table 1. 4. Determine and record in Table 1 the mass of plants above the soil line for each pot by using a razor blade to cut the plant stems at soil level. This means you must weigh all the plants (above the soil line) for a given pot at one time. 5. Determine the mean above soil plant mass for each soil type for your group and record in Table 1. To do this, add the three mass values you obtained in step 4 above and then divide by three. 6. Record in Table 2 and on the transparency the mean plant above soil mass (g) for all soil types for your group. Also EVPP 111 Lab Spring 2004 Table 2. Mean plant above soil mass (g) by lab group and soil type. Mean plant above soil mass (g) Lab Table Potting Fill Compost 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mean Table 3. Mean plant height (mm) by lab group and soil type. Mean plant height (mm) Lab Table Potting Fill Compost 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mean - Continued on next page - EVPP 111 Lab Spring 2004 6 Figure 1. Mean plant height (mm) for each week by soil type for individual lab group. M ea n pl an t he ig ht ( m m ) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Week # Figure 2. Class-wide mean plant above soil mass (g) by soil type. M ea n pl an t ab ov e so il m as s (g ) 0 Potting Fill Compost Soil Type EVPP 111 Lab Spring 2004 7 Figure 3. Class-wide mean plant height (mm) by soil type. M ea n pl an t he ig ht ( m m ) 0 Potting Fill Compost Soil Type Conclusions (Questions): For full credit, these questions should be answered thoroughly, in complete sentences, in legible handwriting. 1. Compare the plant growth, as evidenced by mean plant height and mean plant above soil mass, in the three soil types. In which soil did the plants grow best? In which soil did the plants grow most poorly?